October 21, 2011

Freshman Brianna Campbell made 15 saves in the win for Holy Family Academy. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

Holy Family Academy at McNair Girls Soccer Photo Gallery

JERSEY CITY – As someone who was once in the same position of playing goalie as a freshman, defender Alexis Ogbin has always been there to provide helpful advice to current keeper Brianna Campbell.

Little can truly prepare a goalie for the pressure Campbell faced in the second half yesterday, but the freshman was able to thrive in her chaotic surroundings and leave with a victory.

Campbell made 15 saves in net as Holy Family survived a furious rally to hold off McNair 3-2 yesterday at Lincoln Park West in the process showing the poises and composure of an upper-classmen.

"I was a goalie my freshman year and a lot more nervous than she was," Ogbin said.

Such nerves from Campbell would have been understandable. An early 3-0 lead had been cut to just one with the Cougars (8-6) pumping in a constant barrage of shots towards the goal. But Campbell wouldn't falter, making eight saves in the final 35 minutes to preserve the victory.

She stopped a pair of shots from Brooke Miller midway through the second half. Miller appeared poised to tie the game when she took a cross from twin sister Brianna and sent a shot towards the near post only to have Campbell knock it away and preserve the Falcons (6-6-1) lead.

"She did what she had to do. She made a gorgeous save with about 10 minutes left on Brooke Miller," McNair head coach John Hughes said. "This was a great save."

"(Campbell's) definitely had her moments this year. Every game she gets a little bit better and she shows more and more composure," said Holy Family head coach Jessica Iorio. "It's nice to see and she's getting there. I can't wait to have her for the next three years."

Campbell would put the finishing touches on victory when she batted away a Brooke Miller direct kick from 20 yards out with less than 20 seconds left in the game.

"I better get this or my team will scream at me," said Campbell with a laugh about the final shot of the game.

"Yeah it was pretty nerve-wracking," said Ogbin about the second half. "We had to keep stepping up to keep them off the scoreboard."

McNair might have dominated the second half, but it was a far different story in the opening 40 minutes. Rebekah Flores put the Falcons on top in the 17th minute when she headed in a shot after a scramble in front of the net. Flores would strike again when she fired a shot from 25 yards out just under the crossbar in the 27th minute. Senior Kaydee Murphy would make it 3-0 just two minutes later with a shot just inside the far post.

The Cougars would bounce back with a goal from Samantha Ascencio in the 28th minute and another from Nicole Nicolas in the 45th minute. But it would be as close as they would get as Iorio praised the play of Ogbin, juniors Shannon Folger and Jessie McGlone and sophomore Amelia Attisano on the defensive end.

"The defense is very much intact and with my center midfielder Kaydee Murphy, the center of the field as well as those other players on defense are just tremendous," Iorio said. "Shannon and Alexis are going to be hard to replace and then Amelia, a sophomore just continues to step up. Jessie was actually new this year, but understands the game. And then Kaydee controls the upper half of the midfield."

Anna Tyryllo made five saves in net for McNair.

Sophomore Samantha Ascencio scored the first goal of the game for McNair. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

Holy Family Academy at McNair Girls Soccer Photo Gallery